Smoke and Mirrors Part 11

Ash's expression softened. "Sloane? What's going on?"

"He's an easy target now," Sloane said with a sigh. He soothed the Felid inside him, a.s.suring him everything was all right. Dex was safe. There were no threats. "Guys want to f.u.c.k him just to show off. To say they f.u.c.ked an Alpha's mate."

Ash looked surprised by Sloane's words. "I've never heard you call yourself that."

No one really used the term outside of the THIRDS, and generally it was used only to reference their unit. It was called Unit Alpha for a reason, but Therians didn't like using terminology that reminded them of their less than Human halves.

"Doesn't stop it from being what it is. Me, you, Hobbs, Seb, we're Alphas, apex predators. If you've marked your lover and made them your mate, other Therians are going to want to take what you have. The majority don't really give a f.u.c.k about who they're hurting. It's about fulfilling a need. A baser instinct. I didn't understand a lot of it until now, and it's f.u.c.ked-up that as a society we excuse the behavior. h.e.l.l, I still don't understand a lot of it." Sloane looked over at the bar where Dex and Cael were laughing with the barman, a bear Therian who was obviously flirting.

"I never realized how f.u.c.king terrifying it would be. Cael's a Therian, so the rules are different. If he were marked, Therians would be more cautious about approaching him, because he could go feral. Dex is Human, and that puts him at a disadvantage from the start. The more aggressive the Therian, the less he's going to put up a fight against his Therian half. Just thinking of Dex out there without me, with a bunch of wild animals, makes me sick to my stomach."

"Hey, whoa, buddy." Ash reached across the table and put his hand on Sloane's arm. "You gotta have faith in your boy. He might be a Human, but he is one tough son of a b.i.t.c.h, and with the training Sparks is putting us through, any a.s.shole who tries to mess with him, you can bet Dex will teach him some manners. I had no idea you were worrying about this. Are you having second thoughts?"

"What?" Sloane frowned deep and shook his head. "No. I might be unsure about a lot of things, but what we did...." A smile came onto Sloane's face, his heart filled with love as he watched Dex. "I've never felt more sure about anything in my life." He turned his attention back to Ash. "I think... I think this is it, Ash."

Ash sat back. "It, as in the one? You really believe in that?"

"When I was with Gabe, I thought that was it for me. I thought I'd found the guy I'd be spending the rest of my life with. But whenever I pictured the future, I couldn't. I couldn't see us growing old together. Couldn't see us doing the whole domestic thing. I figured it was just me getting used to the idea of us, worrying we'd get discovered at work."

"And you can see all that with Dex?"

Sloane's face felt hot. "I can see a lot with Dex. Some of it scares the s.h.i.+t out of me."

Ash went pale. "Don't you f.u.c.king say it. Don't even think it."

"What?" Sloane rolled his eyes. "I'm not saying it'll happen. I'm just saying I don't see it as being out of the question. I can see that. I can see him being a father."

Ash leaned in, whispering, as if the mere mention of a kid might conjure one up. "Dude, you realize what'll happen once you have kids, right? No more THIRDS. I know you. What are you going to do, take a desk job?"

"First of all, I'm not saying it'll happen. I mean, Jesus, Ash. We just moved in together. I'm saying that it's not outside the realm of possibility, because with Dex, I can see us having a family. Besides, you plan on being a THIRDS agent all your life?"

"f.u.c.k, man. You're talking like we're ready to retire. We're not even forty yet." He sat, narrowed his eyes at Sloane, his arms folded over his chest and a pout on his face. "I don't like this grown-up talk."

Sloane chuckled. "Sorry." They were both quiet for a second when Ash spoke up, his gaze on the table.

"Guess it wouldn't be so bad."

"What's that?"

"Having a family. You really think we can manage it without f.u.c.king it up? I mean, we never really got to be kids."

"Well, we learned about what not to do, so that's a start."

Cael and Dex showed up with a tray of drinks and snacks.

"f.u.c.king h.e.l.l, took long enough." Ash took his beer, thanking Cael, who gave him a kiss before taking a seat beside him.

"We thought we'd get some snacks," Dex said, taking a seat beside Sloane.

He took a black olive and turned. Sloane opened his mouth, and Dex popped it in.

"You two are disgusting," Ash huffed.

Sloane just laughed. As much as his friend protested all the lovey-dovey stuff, Sloane knew Ash was as head over heels in love with Cael. Sloane could just imagine how sickly romantic and cute the two were in private. After all, Ash was a lion Therian. He had an image to uphold. Luckily, Cael thought it was adorable, and Ash's tough-guy exterior melted away if Cael needed something from him.

The music got loud, and a synthesizer kicked in before drums and the tapping of cymbals soon followed. It was a disco tune Sloane had heard before. Most likely from Dex's iPod.

Dex jumped from his chair with a gasp. "Abba!" He ran to the dance floor, and Sloane shook his head in amus.e.m.e.nt before getting to his feet.

Ash stared up at him. "You're actually going to dance to this?"

Sloane turned, watching Dex on the dance floor as he moved his body to the sensual sounds of the song. His jeans hugged him in all the right places, his s.h.i.+rt clinging and stretching across the muscles of his chest as he danced. Several Therians had taken notice.

"You bet your a.s.s, Keeler." As Sloane drew closer to the dance floor, his senses were a.s.saulted. A s.h.i.+ver went through him, and it was like he was high on Dex's scent. Dex crooked his finger at Sloane, his full lips quirked and a "come hither" look in his dazzling blue eyes. Fiery heat blazed through Sloane, and he crossed the floor in two strides. He stood there for a moment in front of Dex, watching him dance. Sloane loved to watch him, and Dex got off on it as much as Sloane did. Dex put his arms up, his swaying hips and perfectly rounded a.s.s capturing Sloane's attention. Unable to keep himself from touching his man, he grabbed hold of Dex's belt and jerked him back so they could dance pressed together, Sloane up against Dex from behind.

Sloane slipped his leg between Dex's and wrapped an arm around his waist, the feel of Dex's body causing a low growl to rise from his chest. Dex pressed his a.s.s back on Sloane's leg, his hands taking hold of Sloane's hips as they moved together.

Dex met his gaze, his eyes hooded with l.u.s.t as he reached up and looped his arms around Sloane's neck, lacing his fingers and holding on before he closed his eyes, his head resting back against Sloane's shoulder and his neck exposed. f.u.c.k, Sloane was hard. He bent his head and kissed Dex's neck before running his tongue up to his jaw. The music was entrancing, and the taste of Dex was intoxicating. Sloane slid his hand from Dex's hip, up over his chest, his other slipping down to Dex's inner thigh. He gave it a squeeze as he covered Dex's mouth with his. Dex's whimper awakened the feral beast inside Sloane. His inner Felid wanted to claim his mate, to take him right here, bend him over, and pound into him. Everything about Dex was driving Sloane crazy. The softness of his lips, the blue of his eyes, the way he gave himself up to Sloane with complete abandonment.

"Sloane."

Ash's hiss cut through the s.e.x-filled haze consuming Sloane, and he pulled back, a groan escaping him at the sight of Dex's kiss-swollen lips and dilated pupils. He looked drugged and absolutely stunning.

"Sloane," Ash growled.

"What?" Sloane snapped, surprised by Ash's dilated pupils. "Ash?"

"His scent. It's changed." Ash rubbed a hand over his face and shook himself out of it. "f.u.c.k, it's...." He cleared his throat. "It's f.u.c.king suffocating."

"Is it affecting you?"

"Hey, you know it's not like that for me. It's just, it doesn't smell like Dex. It's something else. It's almost like a... pheromone."

"That's not possible. Humans don't give out pheromones."

Ash motioned past Dex to the half a dozen Therian guys standing there, their gazes on Dex as they all but f.u.c.ked Dex with their eyes. Their pupils were so dilated their irises were almost black.

"Tell that to them."

Sloane should have been worried, should have backed away. Instead he was p.i.s.sed. He pulled Dex behind him and bared his now-elongated fangs at the six men.

Ash grabbed Sloane's arm. "We need to go. Now."

Dex looked as if he'd just woken up from a dream. "Sloane? What-"

One minute everyone was dancing and having a good time, the next Sloane was planting a fist across some guy's jaw. In Sloane's defense, the a.s.shole had tried to grab Dex. Chaos erupted on the dance floor as Therians flooded in from all parts of the bar. Ash let out a roar as he threw one guy into a nearby table. Dex stayed close to Sloane, with Cael at his side, both of them holding their own against Therians bigger than them, thanks to Ash and Sparks's training.

Sloane's feral half was furious, and his gaze landed on one jaguar Therian in particular facing him. He was about Sloane's height and build, and the way he licked his lips when he looked at Dex had Sloane hissing at him.

"Those lips are going to look so f.u.c.king hot wrapped around my d.i.c.k," the guy said with a leer.

"Try it, and I promise you, I'll make you regret ever having laid eyes on him."

The guy charged him, and Sloane grinned. So f.u.c.king c.o.c.ky. As soon as he was close enough Sloane threw his arms around the guy's waist, lifted him, and slammed him down onto the dance floor, using his own weight to increase the force of the impact. The jaguar Therian gasped for breath as Sloane landed on him. Sloane rolled off and grabbed a fistful of the guy's T-s.h.i.+rt before punching him in the face. A cougar Therian landed on the floor next to Sloane with a groan. Sloane shot his head up to find Dex standing there, the top two b.u.t.tons of his s.h.i.+rt torn off. His face was flushed, and his chest rose and fell from the exertion.

"Hi, babe."

Sloane was breathless. "Hi." He was about to ask Dex if he was okay when he caught movement behind Dex. Before he could utter a word, Dex ducked and turned, landing a right hook into a guy's ribs. The Therian crashed to the floor. Sloane stared at his partner.

Dex straightened and reached into his back pocket. He whipped his ID out and held it up before shouting across the floor. "THIRDS! Everyone back the f.u.c.k up!"

The music stopped, and everything came to a screeching halt.

"Agent Daley, Defense agent for the THIRDS. Don't move." He looked around him at the stunned Therians, their chests heaving from the brawl. Some were bloodied, some covered in food or drink stains. Dex addressed the group, his piercing blue gaze challenging anyone to make one wrong move. "Yes, I'm marked. Yes, I'm Human. No, you don't get to challenge my mate for me. You don't get to touch me without my permission. You don't get to ignore me when I say no because I decided to have a beer in a bar with Therians. You don't get to say I'm asking for it, because I don't give a f.u.c.k what your feral half wants. This country is ruled by Human laws. You want to act like an animal? I will throw your a.s.s in jail, and you'll be sent to the Zoo. You can be as feral as you want there."

A jaguar Therian took a step forward, coming to a halt when Sloane stood behind Dex. His narrowed gaze moved from Sloane back to Dex. "It's not our fault. It's in our DNA."

"Bulls.h.i.+t," Dex spat. He thrust a finger at the Therian next to the man. "If that guy there tries to f.u.c.k you without your consent, what does that make him?"

The two Therians looked at each other before turning their attention back to Dex. The jaguar Therian frowned at Dex.

"That's different."

"Why? Because I'm Human? Because you're a Therian and your feral half says it's okay, it's the law of the wild, nature and all that bulls.h.i.+t? That makes it okay? No, it makes you a f.u.c.king rapist. I don't give a s.h.i.+t what society says. I'm an officer of the law, and the law says you try to force yourself on someone, that's s.e.xual a.s.sault, and I will get your a.s.s prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Think on that, because if any of you ever end up in the back of my team's truck, you'll be the one who gets f.u.c.ked." Dex slapped his ID wallet shut, then stuck it back in his jeans. He turned and held his hand out to Sloane.

"Let's get the h.e.l.l out of here."

Sloane nodded. He was too stunned to speak, so he allowed Dex to lead him out of the bar, aware of Ash and Cael following close behind. Outside, Dex turned and gave Sloane's cheek a kiss.

"I'm gonna call us a cab."

Sloane couldn't seem to bring himself to do anything other than nod. Ash stepped up to him and patted his shoulder. He looked a little dumbfounded himself.

"I, uh, I think you guys will be okay."

"Yeah." Sloane watched as Dex flagged down a cab. He looked like he'd been in a bar fight. His s.h.i.+rt was torn, his knuckles bruised, and he had dirt smudges on his clothes. d.a.m.n, he was something else.

"That was, uh, kind of intense," Ash added. "Also, I have no idea what the f.u.c.k happened back there, but it was f.u.c.king scary, Sloane. You need to talk to someone about that."

Sloane promised he'd look into it. He thanked Ash for having his back and gave Cael a hug good-night, a.s.suring him they'd be fine and he'd look after Dex. Whatever Ash thought it was, there was no way it was Dex releasing pheromones. There were those who believed it was possible for Humans, but Sloane didn't buy it. Dex hadn't smelled any different. If he had, Sloane would have been the first to notice.

A cab pulled up to the curb, and Sloane joined Dex inside. On the ride home, Sloane thought he was going to lose his mind. All he could think about was Dex, the way he'd moved against Sloane's body, the softness of his skin, the feel of his hair, the warmth of his breath, and the taste of his lips. Dex laced his fingers with Sloane's, giving his hand a squeeze. When Sloane looked over, their eyes met. Dex's pupils were dilated, the heat and want in his gaze unmistakable.

The ride seemed to take forever. When it was finally over, Sloane handed the driver some money, told him to keep the change, and ran up the front steps where Dex stood at the top, opening the door. Sloane hauled him inside, slammed the door behind them, and pounced. He kissed Dex ravenously while divesting him of his clothes. b.u.t.tons popped, clothes were torn, but Sloane couldn't care less. All he could think about was being inside Dex, of claiming his mate. His.

"You're mine," Sloane hissed, cupping the back of Dex's neck and bringing him in for an ardent kiss. Dex pressed himself up against Sloane, his fingers digging into Sloane, as if he feared Sloane would slip away.

"Yes. In every way, yes."

Dex helped Sloane remove the rest of his clothes, and once Sloane was naked, he pushed Dex onto the couch, groaning when Dex fell back onto it, his face flushed, smooth tanned skin begging to be spoiled by Sloane. He grabbed the bottle of lube from the end table drawer and stalked Dex, his grin feral as Dex drew his knees up and palmed his erection. His hair was a mess, his lips swollen from Sloane's kisses, and he was putting on a show for Sloane.

Sloane bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself from moaning at Dex's provocative behavior, challenging Sloane not to lose what little control he clung to. Dex lay back on the couch, his eyes never leaving Sloane's as he stroked his c.o.c.k with one hand, his other hand sliding up his torso. He arched his back and gyrated his hips.

"You like to watch me," Dex said, his voice low and husky.

Sloane nodded. f.u.c.k yeah. He loved to see the pleasure on Dex's face. Loved seeing the way those plump lips parted in ecstasy, how his skin turned pink, the sweat beaded on his brow, how he lost himself at Sloane's hands.

"I bought something for you, while you were at work." Dex pointed behind him to the end table. "In the drawer."

Sloane could barely contain his curiosity or his excitement. He opened the drawer and found a long white box. His pulse sped up when he found a d.i.l.d.o nestled inside the red velvet. He licked his bottom lip and removed it from the box, unable to take his eyes off it.

"I want you to f.u.c.k me with it," Dex purred.

A s.h.i.+ver went through Sloane, and he quickly grabbed the lube off the coffee table where he'd left it. He poured a generous amount onto the flesh-colored s.e.x toy. Just the thought of what he was about to do had him painfully hard, his c.o.c.k jutted up against his stomach leaking precome. He took one of the throw pillows off the couch, and Dex lifted his hips so Sloane could slide it under him.

"I want you to look at me," Sloane ordered as he knelt on the couch. He pressed the tip of the d.i.l.d.o in his hand to Dex's entrance, watching as Dex's lips parted in antic.i.p.ation. Slowly, he breached Dex's hole; his grip on his feral half was tentative at best, especially when Dex grabbed the back of his knees and drew them closer to his chest. Sloane couldn't help taking hold of his own c.o.c.k and stroking. He groaned at the noises coming from Dex. His beautiful face was flushed, and he writhed as Sloane pulled out slightly before pus.h.i.+ng the rest of the way in until the d.i.l.d.o was buried deep inside him.

Sloane had never seen anything more decadent than Dex spreading wide for him, a c.o.c.k stuck up his a.s.s. Unable to help himself, Sloane stopped to get on his stomach, his elbows hooked under Dex's knees as he licked from Dex's hole up to his c.o.c.k. He sucked and nibbled at Dex's inner thigh before drawing Dex's c.o.c.k into his mouth. He took Dex down deep, loving the way Dex s.h.i.+vered underneath him, how he begged Sloane. The d.i.l.d.o moved, and Sloane popped off Dex with a low growl.

"Don't you f.u.c.king move. Keep it there until I'm done."

"Sloane," Dex whined. "Please. I can't."

"You can, and you will."

Sloane went back to driving Dex crazy with his mouth, circling his tongue around Dex's c.o.c.k, pressing the tip down against his slit. Dex whimpered, his fingers slipping into Sloane's hair, grabbing fistfuls of it. Sloane groaned in the back of his throat, loving the way Dex tugged at his hair. He swallowed Dex down to the root before pressing his lips hard around Dex and moving back up.

"Sloane," Dex warned.

Sloane pulled off Dex, gave his nipple a tweak, before he sat back on his heels. He slowly removed the d.i.l.d.o and replaced it with his c.o.c.k. He buried himself inch by inch until he was settled against Dex's a.s.s. Taking hold of Dex's legs, Sloane began to move, pumping into Dex, his groin slapping against Dex's a.s.s. The couch moved beneath them, but Dex held on tight as Sloane pounded into him.

"Oh f.u.c.k! Oh G.o.d, oh G.o.d, oh f.u.c.k!"

Dex cried out, his back arching up off the couch, his c.o.c.k spurting come across his chest, with some landing on his neck and chin. Sloane bent over Dex, grabbing his shoulders, jerking Dex toward him as he drove into him. His hair fell over his face, sweat dripping down his neck as he f.u.c.ked Dex wildly, his hips losing all rhythm. White heat spread through Sloane, exploding in front of his eyes as his o.r.g.a.s.m barreled through him. His muscles tensed, and he pumped into Dex even harder as he spilled himself inside Dex's hole. It seemed to go on forever, until Sloane was sore and collapsed on top of Dex.

Sloane lay on Dex, attempting to catch his breath. Beneath him, Dex's soft panting soon leveled out. The room smelled of sweat and s.e.x. Sloane wanted to move, but he couldn't. The best he could manage was to roll himself off Dex, landing on the couch on his side. He wrapped an arm around Dex and nuzzled his hair.

"I love you," Sloane breathed.

"I love you too," Dex replied quietly.

A CHILL woke Sloane, and as lazy as he felt, he knew they should get up. They'd already had s.e.x twice more. Dex's appet.i.te seemed insatiable. Not that Sloane was complaining. He planted a kiss on Dex's shoulders, his hands caressing Dex's stomach.

"Babe."

Dex stirred. "Hm."

"Let's go to bed."